The Petersburg Racquet Club Advanced 18s junior tennis team has advanced to junior tennis’ biggest stage.

After taking local and state titles, the squad advanced to sectional play in Auburn, Ala., where they won the 2012 United States Tennis Association (USTA) Southern Jr. Team Tennis Advanced Section Championships Aug. 17-19. The team competed in the 18-and-under division.

It now goes to the USTA Jr. Team Tennis National Championships Oct. 25-28 in Lexington, S.C.

Competing at the sectionals were Taylor Richards, Kayla Hergott, Hollis Sherman, Braxton Hain, Sam Dromsky and Colby Gandy. Other team members that have played an integral part in the team’s success are Blair LaSure, Katie Krupp, Taylor Powell and Justin Payton.

“It was a really cool experience, especially since it was a team event,” said Hergott. “Tennis is usually an individual sport so it was fun – a lot of fun – to be part of a team.”

The team played five matches in three days against other Southern states.

“You play girls single, boys single, girls double, boys double and mixed doubles,” said team captain Cheri Hain. “It’s by number of games that you win,” she said, adding that big wins help.

By the end of the three-day round-robin, Georgia had amassed 167 points. Its nearest competitor, Alabama, had 102.

Krupp and LaSure were part of Greenbrier’s state final four team in the spring and helped the team get to the sectionals. They were unable to compete because they are headed to college.

“We’ll miss them, we need them, but hopefully we can do it with or without them,” said Hain.

Sherman stepped in and filled the needed role, Hergott said.

“Hollis did so well,” Hergott said. “She played so well. She played a bunch of doubles and we really needed her without Katie or Blair.’’